Air Pollution

News about Air Pollution, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 16, 2015

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, responding to question about air pollution, says government will crack down on energy conglomerates and enforce new environmental protection laws; does not directly acknowledge documentary film Under the Dome, which sparked national outrage over pervasive toxic smog and was subsequently banned by government. MORE

Mar. 12, 2015

Indian government decides that New Delhi air pollution data posted online daily must be submitted for government review before publication; critics say system is effective as is and accuse government of trying to suppress information about city's high pollution levels. MORE

Mar. 7, 2015

Documentary film Under the Dome is deleted from major Chinese websites on orders of Communist Party's propaganda department; video had caused national stir over country's air pollution problem and was viewed hundreds of millions of times on Internet in week since its release. MORE

Feb. 23, 2015

Editorial observes while India's citizens are beginning to wake up to dire consequences of air pollution, its government is still doing little to reverse course; notes India has 13 of world's most polluted cities, and that some 1.5 million residents die each year from chronic respiratory illness; calls on government to make new strides at global summit on climate change, particularly in relation to its vast consumption of coal. MORE

Feb. 22, 2015

Researchers find that air pollution in India is causing people to lose an average of 3.2 years in life expectancy, at huge cost to country's economy. MORE

Feb. 20, 2015

United States announces expansion of air-quality monitoring at some diplomatic missions overseas, which it has done for years in China; purpose of expansion is to spread awareness of outdoor air pollution and potential health risks, as well as fact that such pollution spreads across national borders. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

New Delhi residents, in major attitude shift, are beginning to react to city's air pollution, which is considered most toxic in the world; many say that while major policy change by India's government is unlikely, growing recognition is first step to addressing problem. MORE

Dec. 16, 2014

Memo From Paris; proposal by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to ban diesel and other high-emission vehicles from center of city by 2020, if passed, will become most far-reaching in Europe for battling air pollution; plan has been praised by public health officials, but some have raised question of whether Hidalgo is catering to interests of elite city dwellers. MORE

Dec. 5, 2014

Indian Prime Min Narendra Modi's new government is minimizing regulation of industry and rewriting country's environmental laws in favor of economic growth; high-level committee assigned to redo legislation recommends relying on business owners to monitor themselves and to voluntarily reveal pollution generated by their projects; cleaner India is welcome but people are more concerned about getting jobs. MORE

Nov. 28, 2014

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column dismisses complaints from Republicans about proposed Environmental Protection Agency rules designed to curb emissions of ozone; examines why polluters can always count on Republican support to continue polluting; posits that rising inequality is in part responsible for partisan divide on environmentalism. MORE

Nov. 26, 2014

Environmental Protection Agency is poised to release sweeping, contentious and long-delayed environmental regulation to curb emissions of ozone; oversight is aimed at smog from nation's power plants and factories and will lower current threshold for ozone pollution from 75 parts per billion to range of 65 to 70 parts per billion. MORE

Nov. 24, 2014

Runners in New Delhi's annual half-marathon confront some of worst air pollution levels in world; race is part of nation's growing running and sporting culture beyond cricket. MORE

Nov. 17, 2014

Exposure to secondhand smoke and roadway traffic may be tied to increased body mass index in children and adolescents, a new study suggests. MORE

Nov. 8, 2014

Chinese government implements dozens of temporary orders aimed at reducing air pollution in and around Beijing in anticipation of arrival of world leaders, including Pres Obama, for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum; orders upend lives of ordinary citizens, with thousands of factories closing, driving severely restricted and deliveries of goods from furniture to milk drastically reduced. MORE

Aug. 17, 2014

Editorial welcomes fact that Chinese government has indicated strong desire to reduce its reliance on coal; cautions not a lot is known about Beijing's strategy and whether it will be bold enough to have meaningful effect on air quality and climate change. MORE

Jul. 8, 2014

IBM announces agreement with Beijing to use advanced weather forecasting and cloud computing technologies to help tackle the Chinese capital's persistent smog. MORE

Jul. 1, 2014

Dr Jeff Riffel study in journal Science finds that car exhaust and other urban fumes and scents can disrupt the ability of moths to make their way to flowers. MORE

Jun. 23, 2014

Air quality has improved dramatically in recent years, and researchers in North Carolina have found an associated decline in rates of death from respiratory disease. MORE

Jun. 3, 2014

Research, led by Dr George D Thurston of the New York University School of Medicine, finds that on days with high levels of ozone and air pollution, hospital admissions for respiratory problems rise about 20 percent; Thurston believes Pres Obama's new plan to cut carbon pollution from power plants is the best course for public health. MORE

May. 29, 2014

Pres Obama plans to unveil new regulation, written by Environmental Protection Agency, that uses his executive authority to cut carbon emissions from nation's coal-fired power plants by up to 20 percent and force industry to pay for pollution it creates through cap-and-trade programs across country; would be strongest action ever taken by an American president to tackle climate change and could become a defining element of Obama's legacy. MORE

May. 20, 2014

Appraisal column; New York City has followed other cities’ leads by creating regulations intended to cut down on emissions from fireplaces, a sought-after apartment amenity; under proposal no new wood-burning fireplaces can be built after July 1, but for the moment, those who enjoy existing fireplaces may relax; there are about 3,300 wood-burning fireplaces in city, including one in City Hall and several in Gracie Mansion. MORE

May. 18, 2014

Chinese officials and preservationists embark on ambitious effort to protect historic sites that could become a model for saving antiquities elsewhere; they have not only cleaned Buddhist statues in the cliffside caves of Datong, known as the Yungang Grottoes, and created a vast park, but also shutdown nearby coal mills and removed or regulated other sources of destructive air pollution. MORE

May. 8, 2014

Beijing government has collected 88 million renminbi, or $14 million, in fines levied during the first three months of 2014 against companies caught violating pollution standards; amount is 10 times the total levied during same period in 2013. MORE

Apr. 30, 2014

Supreme Court upholds authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate smog from coal plants that drifts across state lines; 6-to-2 ruling bolsters series of new regulations aimed at cutting pollution from coal-fired power plants, centerpiece of Pres Obama's environmental agenda. MORE

Apr. 30, 2014

Editorial Keeping Track column praises Supreme Court for upholding authority of Environmental Protection Agency to reduce harmful air pollution that crosses state lines; criticizes Obama administration for its lack of transparency on its secret drone-strike program, latest example of which is is defeat of Senate proposal that would require annual report on number of casualties from drone attacks. MORE

Apr. 7, 2014

Barely more than half of the 10,000 New York City buildings burning heaviest, cheapest forms of heating oil have switched to cleaner fuel, three years into a four-year plan to phase out dirtier oils; expense of boiler conversion is a major obstacle, and city can ultimately take landlords to court to force the conversion; city officials say despite only partial success, New York City has experienced its best air quality in 50 years. MORE

Apr. 3, 2014

Combination of air pollution and dust from the Sahara prompts British authorities to issue smog alert and health warning for the elderly and for people with heart or lung problems. MORE

Apr. 3, 2014

Environmental Protection Agency inspector general's report finds that the agency failed to consistently disclose health risks, including possible cancer risks, to research study participants who were exposed to dangerous air pollutants. MORE

Apr. 1, 2014

Study in journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics suggests that sunset images by master painters may provide important clues about air pollution. MORE

Mar. 28, 2014

Only three of 74 Chinese cities monitored by central government met official minimum standards for air quality in 2013; disclosure underscores country's severe pollution problems; dirtiest cities are in northern China, where coal-powered industries are concentrated, including electricity generation and steel manufacturing. MORE

Mar. 26, 2014

World Health Organization data shows that air pollution claimed seven million lives around world in 2012; more than one-third of deaths occurred in fast-developing nations of Asia; report identifies air pollution as world's single-biggest environmental health risk. MORE

Mar. 21, 2014

Influential environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council sends proposal to Environmental Protection Agency that it contends will lead to cuts of 470 million to 700 million tons of carbon pollution per year in 2020; group has had strong voice in efforts to shape President Obama’s climate change agenda. MORE

Mar. 18, 2014

High pollution levels in Paris are prompting French government to impose driving ban in the French capital for first time in nearly 20 years, and public transport is free for fourth consecutive day. MORE

Mar. 15, 2014

Unusually high levels of air pollution in Paris, which prompted warnings from the Health Ministry, are expected to continue unabated for several days; government, seeking to reduce tailpipe emissions, encourages citizens to use bicycles and electric cars. MORE

Mar. 8, 2014

Editorial praises new rule proposed by Obama administration requiring refiners to reduce the sulfur content in gasoline by two-thirds; points out move will further reduce harmful tailpipe emissions from both old and new cars; contends decision on sulfur bodes well for tough and complex decisions administration faces involving greenhouse gas emissions. MORE

Mar. 3, 2014

Environmental Protection Agency plans to unveil major new regulation that forces oil refiners to strip sulfur out of American gasoline blends and automakers to install cleaner-burning engine technology; sulfur is a smog-forming pollutant linked to respiratory disease. MORE

Feb. 14, 2014

Chinese officials say they are offering total of 10 billion renminbi, or $1.65 billion, in 2014 to cities and regions that make significant progress in air pollution control; announcement reveals difficulty China has faced in persuading companies and government officials to comply with environmental regulations. MORE

Feb. 10, 2014

Op-Ed article by authors Blain Roberts and Ethan J Kytle questions what will happen if drought and rising air pollution continue to afflict the California's Central Valley, where a third of the nation's fruit and vegetables are grown; contends area's residents must acquiesce to water-saving measures. MORE

Jan. 26, 2014

Air pollution in New Delhi is far worse than in Beijing, yet Indian officials have not prioritized air quality as highly as Chinese have. MORE

Jan. 21, 2014

Paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that emissions from China’s export industries carry across the Pacific Ocean and contribute to air pollution in the Western United States; research is first to quantify how air pollution in the US is affected by China’s production of goods. MORE

Dec. 14, 2013

Editorial calls on Supreme Court to uphold 2011 rule allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to impose pollution controls on states deemed responsible for polluting other states downwind; holds EPA's cost-basis regulation is within their authority and clearly the best answer to a complex problem. MORE

Dec. 11, 2013

Supreme Court hears arguments of case in which it has been asked to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency's pollution credit trading plan, which hold states responsible for air pollution that drifts across their borders. MORE

Dec. 9, 2013

Governors of eight Northeastern states plan to petition the Environmental Protection Agency to force stricter air pollution rules on nine Rust Belt and Appalachian states, sparking regional battle; governors say their neighbors have long profited from unfair advantage of cheap energy, even as prevailing winds carry soot and smog eastward. MORE

Nov. 12, 2013

Bloomberg administration, which has made cleaner air a priority for New York City, has taken steps to replace city’s fleet of diesel-powered vehicles, including trucks used for picking up residential waste and recyclables, with newer, less-polluting models; city is also considering requiring about 8,300 private collection trucks to meet tougher federal emission control standards for diesel trucks set in 2007. MORE

Nov. 6, 2013

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column questions what good all the benefits achieved by China's rapid growth are if the country becomes too polluted a place to live; holds most important thing Pres Xi Jinping can do is to build institutional support for a sustainable Chinese dream. MORE

Nov. 1, 2013

A switch to cleaner-burning vehicles has in one respect actually worsened smog in Hong Kong, forcing the city to modify its effort. MORE

Oct. 26, 2013

Op-Ed article by Chris P Nielsen and Mun S Ho, members of The China Project at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, examines why China's efforts to control air pollution, which dwarf those of any other nation, are falling short; contends that if China were to institute a carbon tax, it would offer a real chance to limit both carbon emissions and air pollution at little cost to economic growth. MORE

Oct. 25, 2013

Active response by officials in Harbin, China, to hazardous smog that blanketed the city shows the government is trying to address the problem rather than merely cover it up; action is notable change in government's attitude to problem of China's air pollution. MORE

Oct. 21, 2013

School was canceled and traffic was nearly paralyzed in Harbin on Monday as off-the-charts pollution dropped visibility to less than 10 meters in parts of the city. MORE

Lawyers for industry groups and some 20 states told the justices that Environmental Protection Agency regulations that set limits on emissions from power plants had failed to take account of the punishing costs they would impose.